ABC had suspended Jimmy Kimmel indefinitely following his monologue about conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed on September 10.
Disney-owned ABC announced that it will reinstate Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show will return to the air on Tuesday, which was abruptly pulled following controversy over his remarks about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday,” said a statement from the network.ย
Kimmel has hosted “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on ABC since 2003 and has been a fixture in television and comedy for even longer. He is also well known as a presenter, having hosted the Academy Awards four times.ย Kimmel’s contract with The Walt Disney Co.-owned network had been set to expire in May 2026.
What didย Jimmy Kimmel sayย aboutย Charlie Kirk’sย assassination?
The ACB had suspended Kimmel indefinitely following his monologue about Kirk, who was killed on September 10. Kimmel had commented that “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk” and that “the MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
Backlash to Kimmel’s comments about Kirk was swift. Nexstar and Sinclair, two of ABC’s largest affiliate owners, said they would be pulling “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from their stations. Others, including several fellow comedians, came to his defense.
President Donald Trump, one of Kimmel’s frequent targets, posted on social media that Kimmel’s suspension was “great news for America.” He also called for other late night hosts to be fired.
Hollywood comes in support of Jimmy Kimmel
The news ofย the reinstatement came after hundreds of Hollywood and Broadway figures โ including Robert De Niro, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Selena Gomez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tom Hanks, and Meryl Streep โ publicly rallied against Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, urging Americans to “fight to defend and preserve our constitutionally protected rights.”
On Monday, more than 430 actors, comedians, directors, and writers signed an open letter warning that Kimmel’s suspension represents “a dark chapter in the history of free speech in our country.”
That same day, ABC’s “The View” broke its silence on the issue over two episodes. Opening the show, Whoopi Goldberg declared, “No one can silence us,” and she and her co-hosts condemned Disney’s decision, calling it a dangerous precedent against free speech.
(With AP inputs)
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